Free clinic supplies services to the neediest

February 16, 1990
The Criterion
Page 3
Free clinic supplies services to the neediest
by Mary Ann Wyand
It started with a bowl of soup.
Two years ago, St. Thomas Aquinas
parishioner James Trippi was helping other
Cathedral Soup Kitchen volunteers serve
food to some of the homeless people in
Indiana's capital city.
Trippi, an Indianapolis physician, noticed that many of the homeless people in
the food line had obvious health problems. He decided that, "We could be
doing more."
After discussmg his concerns with other
physicians and nurses, Dr. Trippi and a
small group of area health professionals
organized the Gennesaret Free Clinic in
February of 1988 to provide volunteer
medical care to homeless and indigent
people one night every week.
The name comes from the New
Testament passage Mark 6:56, which
proclaims, "And all those who touched
him were healed."
Since the early days when Gennesaret
volunteers transported donated medical
supplies in large trunks, the clinic staff
has grown to more than 250 volunteers
who work in modestly equipped examination rooms at five of the city's shelters
for the homeless.
Gennesaret Free Clinic volunteers provide medical services to some of the city's
neediest people at the Holy Family Shelter,
Dayspring Mission, the Lighthouse Mission, Good News Mission, Salvation Armv
Adult Rehabilitation Center, and the
Indianapolis Episcopal Metro Council's
temporary family shelter.
Last fall, Gennesaret volunteers also
assisted with a citywide screening for
CHECK-UP-Dr. Donald Trainor examines one-month-old John Christopher
Lee Long, the son of Carmen Long, at the
Gennesaret Free Clinic at Holy Family
Shelter in Indianapolis. (Photos by Mary
Ann Wyand)
tuberculosis and immunization programs
for influenza, tetanus, and pertussis. As a
result of this screening, health care
professionals discovered that more than 10
percent of the homeless people in Indianapolis have latent tuberculosis exposure.
In order to better meet the basic medical
needs of the homeless not covered by
existing community medical programs, Dr.
Trippi and others involved in this
grassroots effort are now preparing to offer
! free dental services and distribution of free
! vitamin pills to homeless children. Comedian David Letterman, an Indianapolis
| native, recently donated funds for the
| purchase of vitamins and antibiotics.
Future Gennesaret plans include the
| purchase of a mobile medical van to serve
i some of the city's homeless people who do
■ not stay at the shelters.
Historically, Dr. Trippi said, health
j care needs for the indigent and homeless
i have been provided at Veteran's Hospi-
] tal, Wishard Hospital, Methodist Hospi-
i tal Neighborhood Health Centers, and
Peoples Health Care Homeless Initiative
! Program.
When the need for free and available
i health care for the needy continued to
I grow, he said, Gennesaret Free Clinic staff
j members volunteered to help fill this void
j with their time and donations of supplies.
! A government grant coming later this year
! will enable the clinic staff to purchase
j additional medications.
"Our clinic started off kind of rocky but
! filled with good intentions," Dr. Trippi
! noted during a recent reception for
I volunteers. "What all of you are doing is
j done in the name of God, and it is done
I with quality through your good work."
In just one year, he said, "We were able
j to become accessible to those in the
| shelters. The past two years have been a
j tremendous source of growth and inspira-
| tion, and we are now on the verge of
having dental clinics at two of the shelters.
j We thank God for all of you."
Looking ahead, Dr. Trippi said, "We
; start our third year filled with tre-
I mendous confidence because every goal
i that we've tried to do we have far
j exceeded. Now we hope to purchase,
equip, and staff the Gennesaret Free
Mobile Clinic to provide accessibility to
the homeless that we do not serve
presently."
The mobile clinic is expected to cost
$45,000, he said, and will more effectively
fulfill the need for medical outreach to the
city's homeless in the downtown area. ...^
PrioJ7-iVWiUltteennS at tne Gennesaret
be auL "r^ ^ H°iy Famiiv Shelt-
oecause I m amazea at the courage of
these (homeless) people. It's a §rea
pnviiege to be a parTo/this organLtfon
h„rnh° ^^ the com^nity. It's a
Wp SweXpenenCe- Chi]dren ** our
needTa^r are,heIP-S to meet their
needs and the needs of their families "
Dr. Donald Trainor, a St. Luke parish-
iTrnP, ^ hf ^ SPent -rvmPg the
ioZr ,'makeTs me feei iike ™y ^ £:
coming alive. It's one of those rare :
opportunities where vou really feel l&e I
you're doing good for other people I
also a n?°maS Parishionei" James Malone, I
were fen"' f* he *"* °ther doctor* '
were looking for ways to help the I
FRIENDS—Holy Family Shelter client
Toby Melton, 11, holds nine-month-old
Mahogany Turner while the two await
medical exams at the Gennesaret Free
Clinic. He is the son of Patricia Melton.
Michelle Turner is Mahogany's mother.
community" and found the Gennesaret
Free Clinic to be a good vehicle for
volunteer service.
Registered nurse Marcia Plant Jackson, a
member of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, said she voluntarily worked
I with Mother Teresa and the Missionary
1 Sisters of Charity during a stay in India.
i Now, she added, her service for the
Gennesaret Free Clinic enables her to
continue that spirit of service and gives
I purpose to her life.
"Dr. James Scheidler, a St. Michael
parishioner, praised Dr. Trippi for originating the idea of the Gennesaret Free
Clinic because, "It's a good opportunity to
i exercise a certain need that we all have to
give of ourselves. It's an organized
w^Vir-->~~ity to do something; that I've been
! _ St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners
Thomas and Colleen Southern were the
; first couple to join the Gennesaret project
: and have taken their son, Matthe^ aW
to the Dayspring Mission to help serve the
city's homeless residents.
Dr. Southern and his wife described
heir volunteer work at the Free Clinic as "a
really wonderful experience, one that we
can work on together as a family. It's a way
for us to contribute to the community " Y
^ey said their work has enabled them
to assist "families that for some reason a™
now out on the streets."
And, Dr. Southern noted, "There are a
lot of people out there who need assistance
It s a rewarding feeling to know that in
some small way we can be of help "

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February 16, 1990
The Criterion
Page 3
Free clinic supplies services to the neediest
by Mary Ann Wyand
It started with a bowl of soup.
Two years ago, St. Thomas Aquinas
parishioner James Trippi was helping other
Cathedral Soup Kitchen volunteers serve
food to some of the homeless people in
Indiana's capital city.
Trippi, an Indianapolis physician, noticed that many of the homeless people in
the food line had obvious health problems. He decided that, "We could be
doing more."
After discussmg his concerns with other
physicians and nurses, Dr. Trippi and a
small group of area health professionals
organized the Gennesaret Free Clinic in
February of 1988 to provide volunteer
medical care to homeless and indigent
people one night every week.
The name comes from the New
Testament passage Mark 6:56, which
proclaims, "And all those who touched
him were healed."
Since the early days when Gennesaret
volunteers transported donated medical
supplies in large trunks, the clinic staff
has grown to more than 250 volunteers
who work in modestly equipped examination rooms at five of the city's shelters
for the homeless.
Gennesaret Free Clinic volunteers provide medical services to some of the city's
neediest people at the Holy Family Shelter,
Dayspring Mission, the Lighthouse Mission, Good News Mission, Salvation Armv
Adult Rehabilitation Center, and the
Indianapolis Episcopal Metro Council's
temporary family shelter.
Last fall, Gennesaret volunteers also
assisted with a citywide screening for
CHECK-UP-Dr. Donald Trainor examines one-month-old John Christopher
Lee Long, the son of Carmen Long, at the
Gennesaret Free Clinic at Holy Family
Shelter in Indianapolis. (Photos by Mary
Ann Wyand)
tuberculosis and immunization programs
for influenza, tetanus, and pertussis. As a
result of this screening, health care
professionals discovered that more than 10
percent of the homeless people in Indianapolis have latent tuberculosis exposure.
In order to better meet the basic medical
needs of the homeless not covered by
existing community medical programs, Dr.
Trippi and others involved in this
grassroots effort are now preparing to offer
! free dental services and distribution of free
! vitamin pills to homeless children. Comedian David Letterman, an Indianapolis
| native, recently donated funds for the
| purchase of vitamins and antibiotics.
Future Gennesaret plans include the
| purchase of a mobile medical van to serve
i some of the city's homeless people who do
■ not stay at the shelters.
Historically, Dr. Trippi said, health
j care needs for the indigent and homeless
i have been provided at Veteran's Hospi-
] tal, Wishard Hospital, Methodist Hospi-
i tal Neighborhood Health Centers, and
Peoples Health Care Homeless Initiative
! Program.
When the need for free and available
i health care for the needy continued to
I grow, he said, Gennesaret Free Clinic staff
j members volunteered to help fill this void
j with their time and donations of supplies.
! A government grant coming later this year
! will enable the clinic staff to purchase
j additional medications.
"Our clinic started off kind of rocky but
! filled with good intentions," Dr. Trippi
! noted during a recent reception for
I volunteers. "What all of you are doing is
j done in the name of God, and it is done
I with quality through your good work."
In just one year, he said, "We were able
j to become accessible to those in the
| shelters. The past two years have been a
j tremendous source of growth and inspira-
| tion, and we are now on the verge of
having dental clinics at two of the shelters.
j We thank God for all of you."
Looking ahead, Dr. Trippi said, "We
; start our third year filled with tre-
I mendous confidence because every goal
i that we've tried to do we have far
j exceeded. Now we hope to purchase,
equip, and staff the Gennesaret Free
Mobile Clinic to provide accessibility to
the homeless that we do not serve
presently."
The mobile clinic is expected to cost
$45,000, he said, and will more effectively
fulfill the need for medical outreach to the
city's homeless in the downtown area. ...^
PrioJ7-iVWiUltteennS at tne Gennesaret
be auL "r^ ^ H°iy Famiiv Shelt-
oecause I m amazea at the courage of
these (homeless) people. It's a §rea
pnviiege to be a parTo/this organLtfon
h„rnh° ^^ the com^nity. It's a
Wp SweXpenenCe- Chi]dren ** our
needTa^r are,heIP-S to meet their
needs and the needs of their families "
Dr. Donald Trainor, a St. Luke parish-
iTrnP, ^ hf ^ SPent -rvmPg the
ioZr ,'makeTs me feei iike ™y ^ £:
coming alive. It's one of those rare :
opportunities where vou really feel l&e I
you're doing good for other people I
also a n?°maS Parishionei" James Malone, I
were fen"' f* he *"* °ther doctor* '
were looking for ways to help the I
FRIENDS—Holy Family Shelter client
Toby Melton, 11, holds nine-month-old
Mahogany Turner while the two await
medical exams at the Gennesaret Free
Clinic. He is the son of Patricia Melton.
Michelle Turner is Mahogany's mother.
community" and found the Gennesaret
Free Clinic to be a good vehicle for
volunteer service.
Registered nurse Marcia Plant Jackson, a
member of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, said she voluntarily worked
I with Mother Teresa and the Missionary
1 Sisters of Charity during a stay in India.
i Now, she added, her service for the
Gennesaret Free Clinic enables her to
continue that spirit of service and gives
I purpose to her life.
"Dr. James Scheidler, a St. Michael
parishioner, praised Dr. Trippi for originating the idea of the Gennesaret Free
Clinic because, "It's a good opportunity to
i exercise a certain need that we all have to
give of ourselves. It's an organized
w^Vir-->~~ity to do something; that I've been
! _ St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners
Thomas and Colleen Southern were the
; first couple to join the Gennesaret project
: and have taken their son, Matthe^ aW
to the Dayspring Mission to help serve the
city's homeless residents.
Dr. Southern and his wife described
heir volunteer work at the Free Clinic as "a
really wonderful experience, one that we
can work on together as a family. It's a way
for us to contribute to the community " Y
^ey said their work has enabled them
to assist "families that for some reason a™
now out on the streets."
And, Dr. Southern noted, "There are a
lot of people out there who need assistance
It s a rewarding feeling to know that in
some small way we can be of help "